The clock:

40 days until the Utah Democratic State Convention at Weber State University (6/17/2017)

183 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)

259 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)

304 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)

547 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)

1,275 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

NEW POLL: Most Utahns say more tax money is needed to fund public schools in the state. Of those who want more tax money, most say they would favor a mix of property, sales, and personal income tax increases to meet that need [Utah Policy].

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is in Utah today to visit Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments as part of a review ordered by President Donald Trump [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].

House Speaker Greg Hughes takes himself out of the mix of potential candidates to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz when he leaves Congress [Utah Policy, Associated Press].

Our "Political Insiders" say candidates to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz if he steps down early should be able to reach the primary ballot either by gathering signatures or being nominated by party delegates [Utah Policy].

Rep. Brad Wilson wants to amend the Utah constitution to allow the Legislature to call themselves into a special session. Right now, only the governor has that power [Deseret News, Tribune].

Sens. Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch will play a big part in writing the Senate version of the health care reform bill [Tribune].

Former President Barack Obama says members of Congress need to show "political courage" by saving the Affordable Care Act [Politico].

Yikes! There are already 43 people who could launch a bid against President Donald Trump in 2020 [The Hill].

Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates will testify before Congress on Monday about her discussions with the Trump White House about former national security adviser Mike Flynn's connections to Russia [Washington Post].

President Donald Trump is set to announce his first slate of federal court nominees, a move that could dramatically remake the federal judiciary [New York Times].

Silicon Valley is becoming a popular destination for politicos who want a fresh start outside of Washington, D.C. [Los Angeles Times].

Boring but important: The Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed five members of a major scientific review board [New York Times].

Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, echoes President Trump's warning that a government shutdown might be the way to remove roadblocks to the president's agenda [Bloomberg].

Emmanuel Macron wins the French presidency, putting a halt to the populist and nativist wave that has been taken hold in the west [Politico].

House Majority Leader Brad Wilson and Senate Majority Whip Stuart Adams both could profit handsomely from the construction of the West Davis Corridor. Both men own undeveloped property near the proposed freeway [Utah Investigative Journalism Project].

Yowza! Utah's sales tax collections are skyrocketing following the deal with Amazon to collect sales tax on purchases made through the internet retailer [Tribune].

The Utah Transit Authority warns they will not be able to finish a number of proposed transportation projects without a big sales tax hike [Tribune].

Media watch: The Sinclair Broadcast Group is close to a deal to purchase Tribune Media. The deal means Sinclair would control more than a third of local TV stations in the U.S. [New York Times].

Hatch urges support for rollback of harmful Obama ruleIn a speech on the Senate floor, Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) called on his Senate colleagues to support H.J. Res. 66, a resolution that would rescind an Obama-mandated regulation that encourages states to impose conflicting and burdensome mandates on...

Trumpcare"Democrats are calling for the new Republican healthcare bill to be called "Trumpcare." Experts say that's the first time the words "Trump" and "care" have ever been said together." Jimmy Fallon

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